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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24967573">The Dragons of the Sky Kingom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinNightingale/pseuds/RobinNightingale'>RobinNightingale</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dragon AU, Dragon!Hak, If formatting looks weird I am still figuring it out just bear with me!, Will be developed, just wanted to get this out there</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:13:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,475</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24967573</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinNightingale/pseuds/RobinNightingale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is Kouka.</p><p>In the castle where I lived, there was neither a prince nor a queen who could bear one. A small kingdom, Kouka is bordered by powerful countries to the North and South, and has been through many wars. But we persisted for this long because we have one thing no other nation has.</p><p>Dragons.</p><p>Note: This is TECHNICALLY a HTTYD crossover, but I don't plan for the HTTYD world to show up until MUCH later. I don't plan to regularly update this yet. I just wanted to get it out there first before someone else does. And if it looks like I plagiarized anything, I SWEAR this story has been sitting on my computer for years, it was all of my original design.  This will be posted on fanfiction.net as well. Eventually.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Dragons of the Sky Kingom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This chapter was written to the soundtrack of HTTYD's First Flight. While reading the second part after the break feel free to put that soundtrack on :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1> Chapter 1: First Flight </h1><hr/><p>
  <em>This is Kouka.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In the castle where I lived, there was neither a prince nor a queen who could bear one. A small kingdom, Kouka is bordered by powerful countries to the North and South, and has been through many wars. But we persisted for this long because we have one thing no other nation has.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dragons.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Yona rushed through the woods with a passionate stride, not giving care to how the branches of the shrubbery she ran through snagged on her dress, but for how she hiked it up slightly only to give her feet more room. Her scarlet hair, horribly prone to tangles, flowed behind her in the slight breeze made stronger by her pace. She gave no thought to how strands of it caught on the corner of her mouth as they fell free of her crystal pins, or the way her pristine, cream-colored silk shoes were turning a steady shade of brown the more she kicked up the dust, or how any other expensive material of clothing were falling into a state that would have her maids in a fit by the time she got back. She had only one thought on her mind, and that was to see <em>him</em>.</p><p>She broke into a clearing, breathless and sweaty, and brushed stray leaves from her dress as she scanned the area. “Hak?” she called.</p><p>When there was no answer, she took a few more steps towards the center, where a patch of sunlight made the grass gleam emerald. “Hak!” she called again.</p><p>Still there was nothing. Her face flushing with frustration, Yona cupped her hands around her mouth. “HAAAAAAAK!” </p><p>Normally she would have been more careful about shouting for him. But today she was upset. Today, the only thing she cared about was her friend.</p><p>Just when she was about to call again, a branch snapped to the side. “Princess Yona?”</p><p>Yona turned sharply. “Soo-Won!” she exclaimed, her scowling face breaking out into a grin. She ran to meet her cousin, all but leaping upon him in a hug. “I’ve missed you!”</p><p>Soo-Won grunted when he caught her. “I’ve missed you too,” he laughed, then glanced behind him. “And I’m not the only one.”</p><p>Sharp yellow eyes glowed in the shadows as a dragon stepped from their midst. An eagle-like head dipped forward into the clearing, the brown feathers covering him from head to tail made brighter by the sunlight. His clawed feet shuffled in the dead leaves, eyes regarding Yona warmly, and he let out a soft <em>awk</em>.</p><p>Yona giggled. “Hello, Gulfan,” she said, petting his beak. Gulfan closed his eyes and warbled lowly.</p><p>Soo-Won looked about the clearing. “Where’s Hak?” he asked. At that, Yona looked downcast.</p><p>“I don’t know,” she replied. “I was calling for him when you showed up.”</p><p>“We know,” Soo-Won said, his eyes twinkling. “We could hear you from the other side of the hill.” Beside him, Gulfan gave a short trill, as though laughing.</p><p>Yona blushed, but she tried to cover it up in a huff. “I wasn’t <em>that</em> loud,” she mumbled.<br/>
</p><p>Soo-Won chuckled, before turning more serious. “You need to be careful, though,” he advised his cousin. “You don’t know who else could have heard you.”<br/>
</p><p>“I know that!” Yona crossed her arms. “But nobody comes up these hills anyways. And it’s the only way to let Hak know that I’m here!”<br/>
</p><p>Soo-Won sighed, but didn’t admonish her further. It was clear Yona was frustrated about something else other than just finding Hak, and there was no rationalizing with her at this point.<br/>
</p><p>“It is a little strange that he hasn’t shown up yet,” he admitted. “Usually he answers right away…”<br/>
</p><p>Just as he said that, there came a short, echoing cry. All three of them looked up as the sound of wings flapping drew closer, and a few seconds later a dark shape broke the line of trees. The branches whipped with the gale, and the ground trembled slightly as another dragon dropped into the clearing.<br/>
</p><p>Soo-Won couldn’t prevent a noise of awe. It was always an astonishing sight to see him, especially in flight. Eight feet tall at the shoulder and still growing, Hak was one of the largest dragons Soo-Won had ever come across. Cobalt blue eyes glittered piercingly from a slender, finely-shaped head that sported two curved horns, and spikes ran down his neck to end at his shoulder blades. His entire body was covered in ebony scales darker than night, except for the tail tip, which ended in a gleaming, wickedly sharp, curved blade.<br/>
</p><p>The black scales should have been a dead giveaway. But it was this blade that convinced Soo-Won that Hak was, without a doubt, an Obsidian Glaivetail.<br/>
</p><p>But that fact alone would be the precisely the reason no one would believe it, for until Soo-Won had seen Hak for himself, his kind were believed to have been all but extinct. </p><p>They existed only in legend, or in rumors passed around farmers at the taverns. Aging men would claim they’d gotten their hand sliced clean off by a Glaivetail, or swear they’d seen one carry off ten cattle at once in its claws. The last confirmed sighting, however, had been more than three hundred years ago, when the king of Kouka himself rode a Glaivetail into battle. It had perished into the fight, and rumor had it the dragon’s body had been buried beneath the palace, with only its skull and tail blade commemorated in the king’s mausoleum.<br/>
</p><p>There were still times Soo-Won had to remind himself Hak was real. But at times like this, in his undeniable, imposing presence, he was a mythical creature come to life.<br/>
</p><p>For Yona, though, he was nothing more than her childhood companion. She rushed to him at once, crying “Hak!” She gathered his snout in an embrace as soon as he dipped it down to her and pressed her forehead against his.<br/>
</p><p>“For a moment, I thought you’d flown away for good,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been back in a while.”<br/>
</p><p>Hak pulled his head back up and tilted it to the side. His glittering eyes regarded her in what could almost pass as a reproachful look.<br/>
</p><p>Yona pouted. “I said I was sorry! Father’s just been strict about letting me out of the house lately.”<br/>
</p><p>Hak huffed through his nostrils, then reached down and pushed her away with his snout playfully.<br/>
</p><p>Yona yelped as she stumbled, then glared up at him. Hak opened his mouth, exposing sharp teeth in a hint of a smile.<br/>
</p><p>“You’re always shoving me around,” Yona grumbled. “You wouldn’t act so mean if you heard what father told me earlier!”<br/>
</p><p>“What did he say?” Soo-Won asked, stepping closer with Gulfan right behind.<br/>
</p><p>The eagle-dragon trotted forward to meet Hak, and the two dragons let out short growls and calls in greeting. They bobbed their heads up and down, their calls getting louder each time, before Hak suddenly darted forward, and they began a game of chase through the trees.<br/>
</p><p>Yona was suddenly reluctant to speak, and she lowered her chin, casting her eyes to the side in hesitation. “He said…He might never let me ride a dragon.”<br/>
</p><p>Soo-Won’s mouth fell open. “But…that’s been your dream! You’ve talked for so long about learning how to ride, ever since we were kids!”<br/>
</p><p>“I know! But today…” Yona sighed, and plopped down onto the grass. Soo-Won settled next to her, concern drawing his eyebrows together.<br/>
</p><p>“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” he asked gently.</p>
<hr/><p>It had been a <em>perfect</em> day.<br/>
</p><p>Yona was never one to get much into folktales, no matter how many were read to her at night, but this day she felt as if a scene from one of her books had come to life. The sun shone brightly down on a cool, crisp morning, not a cloud visible. The songbirds in her garden chirped sweetly. A pleasant scent was in the air, filling her as she breathed in deeply and let out a contented sigh. As she walked through the palace corridors, everyone greeted her warmly, but while that was a natural sight, today they seemed just as infused with euphoria as she was. She heard them laughing in the courtyards, or chatting amiably in the kitchens.<br/>
</p><p>Their good mood fueled hers, and by the end of it she was simply bursting with happiness. For breakfast, her cook surprised her with her favorite dessert, a sweet dumpling made of bean paste and yams, and she listened to the songbirds as she sat on the edge of her garden, chewing happily. She didn’t even care at how her terribly unmanageable red hair was pinned back uncomfortably as her handmaidens dressed her, when she’d usually complain and try to shy away from their vice-like grips. By noontime, she was in a daze of joy at this one glorious, simply <em>perfect</em> day.<br/>
</p><p>“Lady Yona?”<br/>
</p><p>Yona turned to see one of her handmaidens kneeling at the doorway. “Your father requested he see you in his study.”<br/>
</p><p>Yona smiled brightly. “Okay, thanks!” she said, leaping to her feet in a manner that would have her etiquette teacher barking at her. But she didn’t care; if she could, she’d run and skip around the entire kingdom with this good feeling she had inside. As it was, she dashed down the hall (very unladylike!) towards her father’s study, and the guards couldn’t throw open the doors fast enough to let her in.<br/>
</p><p>“Father! I’m here!” she called, her jubilation making her voice carry.<br/>
</p><p>King Il winced and turned away from his desk, which he’d been facing. His hands lowered from his ears, where he’d raised them when he flinched. “Yona, didn’t your teachers warn you not to raise your voice indoors?” he chided.<br/>
</p><p>Yona merely giggled. “Sorry, Father,” she replied, lowering her tone to a more respectable volume. “You asked for me?”<br/>
</p><p>“I did.” King Il folded his hands behind his back as he began to pace in front of his desk. "Today, General Joo-doh informed me that you had expressed an interest in riding dragons.”<br/>
</p><p>Yona’s heart jumped in her chest. It had been her dream, ever since she was a child, to become a dragon-rider. The first dragon-riders had been her ancestors, the founders of the Sky Tribe. Her uncle Yu-Hon had been the one to constantly say to her, <em>“The sky is where we come from. We are at home within it as the dragons are, and thus are they the symbol of our household.”</em><br/>
</p><p>She’d never been allowed until now, mainly because her father had often said she was not old enough yet. But now she was fifteen and nearly a woman, and a few days ago had visited the training grounds to watch the guards and guard dragons practice together. General Joo-doh had been there, and when she could she pulled him aside and requested that he ask her father to give her permission to learn dragon-riding. It had taken some convincing and some of her trademark cute pleading looks, but finally he’d given in and promised he’d tell King Il to start her training.<br/>
</p><p>At least, that’s what she thought he’d said. So it was with eager anticipation that she awaited what her father was going to say next. Her father stopped next to the bookshelves. “After much consideration, Yona, I have to say…”<br/>
</p><p>Already she could picture her first lesson, the wind trailing her red curls in the wind and making them even messier, the feeling of soaring through the limitless sky and knowing there were no boundaries for her ever again…<br/>
</p><p>“…I cannot allow you to go through with this.”<br/>
</p><p>“WHAT?!” King Il winced again as his daughter’s piercing shout rang through the room. “But Father, you said when I was old enough I would be able to start training!”<br/>
</p><p>“No, I never said that,” her father said, his mustache twitching in distress. “I said I would <em>think</em> about whether or not dragon-riding would be right for you. And I’ve come to the decision that it is too dangerous, Yona.”<br/>
</p><p>“But…!” Yona couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Father, can’t I just start with something simple? I’ll be careful, I promise! I’ll even let Joo-doh watch me!”<br/>
</p><p>“We both know that the day you listen to anything General Joo-doh says is the day dragons learn to speak,” her father said wearily. “Listen, Yona. It is not the place for the princess to go into battle, or explore uncharted lands. Your place is in the kingdom, where your <em>people<em> are. One day, you will become wife to the king of Kouka, the queen, and you will need to understand what it is to be a ruler then.”<br/>
</em></em></p><p>
  Yona’s eyes flashed angrily. “If it means being stuck in the palace for the rest of my life, then I don’t want to be queen! I don’t even want to be a princess!”<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“Yona! Have care what you say!”<br/>
</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Yona was still angry, but she quieted under her father’s stern tone.<br/>
</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>King Il gave an apologetic look. “Yona, I understand what this means to you. But I’m afraid this is my final word.”<br/>
</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
 Yona could feel her eyes already brimming with tears. Without allowing her father another word, she whirled around and stormed from the study.</p><p>“Yona!” her father called after her, his hand stretched out helplessly.
</p><p>
Yona didn’t listen, already running for the end of the hall. She went outside and starting making her way straight to the one place she knew would make her feel better…the forest.
</p>
<hr/><p>Soo-won frowned sympathetically. “Yona…he’s probably just trying to protect you. After all, with what happened to your mother…” He trailed off.<br/>
</p><p>Yona knew perfectly well this was why her father was forbidding her from dragon riding. Her mother had died while riding in a bandit ambush many years ago. Her mother’s dragon had been spooked and thrown the queen from its back, or so Yona had heard. But most of all, it was the fact that dragons had been heavily used for warfare since virtually the kingdom’s creation.<br/>
</p><p>Kouka had once been a country to be feared. They had not only kept their neighbors at bay, but maintained a respectable reputation through the use of their dragons. The people of Kouka had been the first to tame them, and they were the only country to effectively use them in combat.<br/>
</p><p>But her father was a peaceable man (<em>weak and soft,</em> she would hear in whispers about the palace) who abhorred violence in any form. When Yona’s mother passed away, he forbade not only weapons, but the practice of dragon-riding throughout the kingdom except for ceremony. If not for the fact that dragons were essential for providing ground transport for merchants or that many smaller versions were kept as pets by the common people, King Il might have banned the creatures altogether.<br/>
</p><p><em>Still…that doesn’t make it right. Father can’t just ban everything that scares him!</em><br/>
</p><p>“I can’t be sheltered forever,” she said aloud. “Father has to understand that he’s acting paranoid! After all, he even forbade me from even going near a dragon because he thought I might be attacked! And yet I’ve played with Gulfan and Hak for years!”<br/>
</p><p>Gulfan had been the only palace dragon King Il had allowed, and that was only because it meant so dearly to Yona and Soo-Won. Her Uncle Yu-Hon had given the eagle-dragon to them as a gift, and they’d raised him together. And ever since Yona had found the black dragon in the woods as a hatchling, they’d agreed to keep him a secret from her father, lest the king take him away.<br/>
</p><p>“Are you thinking of telling your father about Hak, then?” Soo-won asked.<br/>
</p><p>“…I don’t know,” Yona admitted hesitantly.<br/>
</p><p>“You’ll have to tell him eventually. Hak’s gotten big enough that he’s starting to be noticed by the farmers. We won’t be able to hide him forever.”<br/>
</p><p>“I know that! But…” <em>I want to keep him a secret for as long as I can.</em><br/>
</p><p>There was no telling what might happen if she were to tell her father. If she did, and Hak was taken away from her, then…she at least wanted to preserve as much time with her friend as she could.<br/>
</p><p>The dragons had stopped playing, and now lazed in the sunlight. Hak’s tail trailed into the forest, where it almost disappeared completely, blending into the shadows. There had been times when Yona had been unable to find Hak even when he was standing right next to her, hidden in the darkened undergrowth. It was almost as if the shadows absorbed him.<br/>
</p><p>Yona smiled, and went over to him. Hak was resting his head in the grass, his eyes closed and his ear flicking every now and then. When Yona rested a hand on his head and scratched his scales, a contented sound rumbled in the dragon’s chest.<br/>
</p><p>Soo-Won gazed at the scene, then turned towards the direction of the castle, thinking.<br/>
</p><p>“Yona,” he said finally, and the princess looked up. “I’m going to have a talk with King Il. I’ll try to convince him to let you ride Gulfan.”<br/>
</p><p>“Really?” Hope leapt from her tone. “But…what if he doesn’t listen?”<br/>
</p><p>Soo-won smiled at her. “Don’t worry. I won’t give up until he says yes.”<br/>
</p><p>Joy lit up Yona’s face, and she threw herself at her cousin. “Thank you, Soo-won!”<br/>
</p><p>It was only afterwards, when she was returning to the palace, that she’d noticed how warm it had felt to have Soo-Won’s arms wrap around her. How safe it had been, how comforting…<br/>
</p><p>And how she was blushing now…</p>
<hr/><p>Yona was flying.</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The wind whistled past her ears, and she could hear little else. Her arms were locked tight around Soo-Won, who sat in front of her, and her knees gripped the sides of the saddle on Gulfan, on whom they both were riding. Currently, they were two thousand feet off the ground directly above the kingdom, the lower city below them looking no more than a grid at this distance.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>It was far scarier than she’d thought, and nothing like the smooth ride she’d imagined it would be. Gulfan bobbed and ducked with the wind, and she jerked uncomfortably each time. Every now and then she swore she was slipping from the saddle, and she’d scramble against her cousin to regain her balance. She was now extremely grateful for General Joo-Doh’s decision to give her a strap to secure her to the saddle, otherwise she’d probably have fallen to her death a long time ago.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>(She tried not to think of her father’s words when she thought that.)</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am a princess of the Sky Clan,</em> she reminded herself, terrified. <em>We are at home within it as the dragons are, and thus are they the symbol of our household.</em></p><p>Those words comforted her a little, enough to quell her shaking and gain a better grip on her cousin.
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The general himself flew alongside them to their right, his dragon Chul maintaining a steady position in line with Gul-fan’s.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She thought back to how she’d felt when Soo-Won came up to her and told her King Il was willing for her to have one lesson. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
<em>“You’ll only be allowed to ride as long as I’m riding with you, and at the very least General Joo-Doh will have to be there as well, but…he said yes,” Soo-Won finished with a wide grin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Her heart had been bursting with excitement all the way up until Soo-Won was reaching down with his hand to help her mount Gulfan. Suddenly, as she found herself being positioned behind her cousin and a harness being tied around her waist, all of her father’s words about what horrible things could happen during riding came flooding back to her at once.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
<em>“The dragon could go into a dive and you’d be crushed against the pressure. Or worse, you could be flung from its back and be dashed against the ground. Or more terrible still…”</em>
 
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“All right, we’ve reached a good height,” Soo-Won shouted, interrupting her thoughts. He twisted his head so that Yona could hear him, not that it helped much. Somehow she managed to catch his words. “We’re going to level off here for a bit, but then we’re going to start a dive. Remember, if anything happens, Joo-Doh will be there to catch you.” </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>As he said that, Yona stole a glance at the general, who gave her a reassuring nod and salute in response. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>They’d left the city and were now hovering by the mountains; the tallest of them sank their peaks into the clouds the dragons were passing through, and occasionally they showed themselves, black shadows through a hazy mist. Yona had only been around these parts once before, and she’d never left her carriage. Seeing the mountains from this point of view was like entering a foreign land.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“You ready?”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“No!” Yona yelled back honestly, but she prepared herself all the same. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Her cousin merely chuckled. “Here we go!”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Gulfan tipped forward, and Yona couldn’t prevent a shriek from leaving her mouth at the sensation. Her heart nearly stopped as she slid forward a few inches, and it was only thanks to the feeling of her strap snagging to a stop and Soo-Won’s sturdy body in front of her that she managed to keep herself grounded. Well, as grounded as she could in the air, in any case.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She leaned backwards as Soo-Won had told her how, and was relieved to find she kept her balance, and didn’t wobble like her cousin had said most beginners did. The clouds opened up beneath her, and suddenly she saw the valley. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She gasped. A vast expanse of trees stretching to the horizon and beyond, while at the same time sloping upwards on either side of her as the forest climbed the mountains, so that it seemed she was encased within a bowl of trees. Here and there rivers and clearings broke the pattern, and in the distance a great chasm split the land in two, extending out to the sea, but otherwise it was a solid vision of green such as she’d never seen before. In that moment, she forgot her fear, and nothing else filled her mind but awe at such spectacular beauty. When the dragons leveled off and curved gently around a mountain, standing tall and huge in its majesty, she nearly fell over backwards trying to crane her neck to see it all, before Gulfan jerked her forward and she grabbed hold of her cousin once again. They glided closer to the mountains, and once again entered the mists that rose off the cliffs like fire smoke.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>It truly was magnificent.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She could have stayed that way forever, had not there been a sudden drop beneath her, and she barely had time to squeal as Gulfan inexplicably dipped downward so quickly she felt she left her stomach behind. Only then did she notice a great dark shadow pass over her head, and she realized they’d been only meters from crashing into an edge of stone that jutted out the mountain’s side like a thorn, hidden in the mist. She’d settled down for only half a minute when Gulfan bobbed again, this time sailing over the stone bridge like a dolphin diving out of the sea, and after a few seconds she heard Joo-Doh swearing behind them, his curses indiscernible in the air. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Soo-Won laughed, and the sound eased Yona’s hammering heart. “Sorry about that,” he called. “I forgot that some parts of the mountains have bridges like that.”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“It’s okay,” Yona said back breathlessly. She swallowed. “…Are there any more?”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She could practically hear Soo-Won's smile. “Are you asking for more, cousin? Or have you had enough for today?”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
 “No!” It had been scarcely an hour, and she’d <em>begged</em> for this ride. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t stick this out all the way through, nor if she didn’t try to get everything she could out of it.
</p><p>
<em>No matter how terrifying it might be…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Forcing her throat open, Yona assumed a haughty attitude and deliberately released her hold on Soo-Won, closing her hands around her saddle instead. “Show me what you can do!”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Soo-Won laughed gaily. “That’s the spirit! Let’s go, Gulfan!”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Gulfan let out a piercing cry in response, a splendid mix between an eagle’s scream and a dragon’s bellow. With one great flap of his wings, they were suddenly shooting upwards. Yona yelped and grabbed hold of Soo-Won’s shoulders in time, squeezing her knees around the saddle. Gulfan took them higher and higher, far above the clouds, and as they passed the peak of the highest mountain, Yona suddenly felt a thrill of adrenaline. When they broke the cloud line once more, she glimpsed the sun shining in glorious solitude against the cerulean heavens. Obeying her feelings, she let out a whoop and threw up her arms, basking in the exhilaration.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The moment lasted three wonderful seconds before disaster struck.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She didn’t know what had caused it—when she first thought back to it, she thought perhaps the sunlight had hit Gulfan’s eye—but her cousin’s dragon suddenly gave a large jerk, and she was jolted upwards. For an instant that seemed like an eternity, she actually floated off the saddle, her hair raising around her head as if she were underwater. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The next instant, her heart was in her throat as she fell downwards again. She wasn’t worried at first; the strap still held her, she knew. But suddenly there was a jerk; she heard the sound of something snapping; and before she knew it she’d fallen from his back. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Yona gasped as she saw the dragon’s tail rush past her vision, and then, quite suddenly, there was nothing to catch her. Terror raced through her mind as she began to tumble in midair, and when she twisted, she glimpsed the ground beneath her through the clouds. The ground that was currently thousands of feet below.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>She screamed.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“Princess!”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>A shout came from below her, and there was General Joo-Doh, coming up to meet her. She saw the gray dragon’s claws extending up towards her, and she reached out to grab them. She braced herself and watched as if in slow motion as Chul’s claws closed around her…and missed. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“NO!” Yona shrieked and tried to grab at Chul’s feet, his tail, anything, but in vain. The next thing she knew, she was plummeting towards the earth, and this time there was nothing between them but air.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“YONA!”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Both Soo-Won and Joo-Doh twisted their dragons around, and the creatures drew in their wings to fall faster, trying desperately to catch up to her. But she was falling too fast and they’d turned too late; what’s more, below her was one of the larger mountain peaks, and she was only a minute from crashing into it. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>It was then that Joo-Doh knew they’d never catch up to her in time.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>A part of him urged on Chul regardless, but a smaller voice, in the deepest recesses of his mind, wanted to draw Chul up short and look away, unable to bear thinking of the sight of the princess hitting the rocks. Already he was imagining everything that would come afterwards; the princess’ remains, dripping down the mountainside; her father’s expression when they informed him that they’d failed the simplest, yet most important of orders—keep her safe—like they’d sworn; Soo-Won’s unbearable grief and guilt; and of course, his own inevitable execution…</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
<strong><em>WHOOSH.</em></strong>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em> Suddenly a blue-black blur shot past them. Both Joo-Doh and Soo-Won thrust up an arm to shield their eyes from the blast of wind thrown up by its wake. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
 <em>What the…?</em>
 </p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
Yona was tumbling through the air, the sky and earth inverting themselves over and over again. If she weren’t falling to her death she might’ve had time to be nauseous. As it was, the wind was whipping by her so fast she could barely breathe, let alone scream. Her mouth formed an incoherent stream of breathless babble, but the only words racing through her mind were <em>I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die…</em></p><p>
Somehow in that incomprehensible cloud of terror, her father’s face made it to the surface. Despite all else, her heart ached with grief. She’d broken her promise. Her father would be all alone in the world, and it was her fault. As the mountain below rose up to meet her, she closed her eyes. <em>Forgive me…</em></p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Then something roared, and she opened her eyes to black.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>It was a moment, when the wall of black moved and the sun shone through the cracks, before she realized she was staring at the scaled body of Hak. Against everything she’d expected, her friend was there.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“Hak!” she shouted, more out of surprise than anything else. Then the rest of her mind kicked into gear, and she reached out and grabbed him. Her hands latched onto his spikes and pulled her onto his back, and she instinctively pressed her body against him, nestling her legs just above his wing joints.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>As if sensing that she was secure, Hak slowed their spinning until they’d straightened out, and maneuvered just in time out of the way of the mountain, missing it by a breath’s width. They sped down its side, and once they’d gotten far enough away from it, Hak spread his wings.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Yona’s breath was stolen when she suddenly jerked against Hak, as if a coiled rope had yanked her downwards by the shoulders. She groaned through her teeth at the pressure bearing down on her body. Using all of her strength, she pushed herself upright as much as she could, and immediately wished she hadn’t. They’d cleared the mountain, but it was too soon for relief, for the ground was fast approaching, and directly below them sat a gorge filled with sharp, spiked columns of stone. At the rate they were going, they’d impale themselves for sure.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Unless…</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>It was a crazy idea, but if it didn’t work, they were dead anyways.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>“Hak!” Yona screamed over the wind. She pressed herself closer to his body and gripped his spikes. “I trust you! You can make it!”</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>It was never made clear whether Hak understood her, or even if he heard her, but seemingly in response, Hak tipped forward, and just when they were about to crash into the stone spikes, he tucked in his wings for a dive, and they plummeted into the gorge. At the very last second he angled himself upwards and spread his wings a little, and they swooped along the bottom, the very tip of his tail just grazing the shallow water of the narrow river below. Into the treacherous maze, they flew.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Soo-Won’s heart stopped when he saw his cousin disappear into the crevice. He thought for sure he’d hear their bodies crunch sickeningly against the sharp rocks, and it seemed Joo-Doh had thought so as well, for he let out a shout of horror. Both men had pulled up their dragons so as not to meet the same fate and were watching with increasing trepidation as they glided above. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Then movement caught his eye, and his mouth fell open in shock. “Look!” he shouted, pointing.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Hak, with Yona astride him, was speeding through the gorge, impossibly navigating through the rickety spikes. They twisted and turned, sometimes performing a complete roll in the air as they avoided every rock formation by a hair. Hak looked as if he’d grown up among the cliffs, making the smallest movements possible as he dodged, each movement breathtakingly agile, and Yona…Yona looked a natural along with him. She leaned when he tilted, she ducked when he sped up, and if Soo-Won could see her eyes, he’d see they were narrow and focused, as fierce as any trained warrior. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>There was a tunnel of stone that they disappeared into out of Soo-Won’s sight for an instant, making his heart jolt with fear again, but a few seconds later they reappeared on the other side of the mountain, Hak’s wings spread to their full extent over the lake at the end of the canyon, where the river fell in a glorious waterfall. Carried by the wind, Yona’s shriek of triumph reached her cousin’s ears, mingling with Hak’s own bellowing roar, and by far it was the sweetest thing Soo-Won had ever heard.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Next to him, Joo-Doh collapsed against his dragon, and if not for his blinking Soo-Won might have thought he’d fainted. Soo-Won laughed, his own tension giving way to relief so strong it quivered his limbs as he guided his dragon downwards. “Gulfan, Chul, let’s go.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is just the first part of the first chapter. It's been collecting figurative dust for AGES and I just wanted it out there. Please do not message me asking when I'm going to update, cuz it's not gonna happen for a while. But please DO leave comments if you wish, I always love them, and in fact they might make the updating process all the faster.  The story is mostly planned out, it's just in pieces and needs to be put coherently into words. But I'm also focusing on other projects as well, hence the long wait.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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